


i'll be there next time

by starlight_sugar



Category: Campaign (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17254010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_sugar/pseuds/starlight_sugar
Summary: Leenik smiles. “You wanna do resolutions?” (A story about New Years, surprises, and the importance of being with the right people.)





	i'll be there next time

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is part of the AUcember series, a self-made challenge where I try to write a new AU one-shot every day. You can read all of the AUcember fics in the collection linked above.

“Nobody cleans up after their damn selves,” Aava mutters. She already has a towering stack of dishes in her hands, mostly paper plates and plastic cups.

“You could do this somewhere else,” Tryst says. Leenik’s not sure if he’s offering or just being a dick, but he seems pretty sincere as he looks at her. “My place is-”

“Your place is tiny, Trystan.”

“Hey,” Leenik says mildly, not because he cares but because he feels honor-bound to defend his apartment with Tryst. It’s a horrible place, sure, but it’s their horrible place.

“Your place is tiny, Tryst and Leenik,” Aava says, because she’s fair and magnanimous like that, and she wants to give Leenik credit, or something. She’s a real friend.

She’s not wrong, though. Their apartment barely fits the both of them, and that was even after they decided to bite the bullet and go for a one-bedroom. It’s a comfy arrangement, but it’s nothing compared to Aava’s penthouse. It’s huge, from some corporate job that she never shares the specifics of, and she always throws this New Year’s party, every year.

Tryst and Leenik are pretty much the only ones who stay to help her clean up, every year. It’s one of Leenik’s favorite things.

Leenik holds out the garbage bag in his hands for Aava to dump things into. “Are people still coming over for post-party wine?”

“They should be. I thought Zero and Blue were here, but I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Maybe they left,” Tryst says, absurdly cheerful. Tryst doesn’t like Zero and Blue, because of that thing that happened that time that ended with Zero smashing Leenik’s prosthetic. Which, okay, Leenik had been upset at the time too, but he mostly just wants to get along with Aava’s friends, so he let it go. The past is the past, or whatever.

Aava frowns, the corners of her lipstick-red mouth cutting sharply downwards. “They’d better not have left.”

“Bacta texted me earlier that he and Lyn will be here soon,” Leenik offers, and Tryst brightens. Aava doesn’t, which, fair. Bacta and Lyn don’t get invited to the party itself, but Leenik always invites them for post-party wine and resolution talk. It’s one of the only times he can get Bacta and Aava in a room together, and maybe they don’t like it, but Leenik does and that counts for a lot.

“Synox left early,” Aava mutters. Tryst breathes an audible sigh of relief, and she rolls her eyes. “Just because Synox and Bacta-”

“Bacta has good reason-”

“I hope Synox has a good New Years very far away from us,” Leenik says. He thinks it’s very diplomatic, but judging by the way Aava’s eyes cut over to him, she doesn’t agree. “But what about Zero and Blue?”

She sighs. “They’ve been acting weird lately.”

“Weird how?”

“It’s getting harder to go out with both of them at once.”

Leenik blinks. “Aren’t they inseparable?”

“Not anymore!” Aava throws a fork into the trash bag as spitefully as possible. “Something happened, and now it’s possible to get them into a room together.”

“Maybe they hate each other now,” Tryst says, disturbingly cheerful about the idea. “That’d be fun.”

Leenik glares at him. “You don’t wish that on other people, it’s bad karma.”

“Bad karma for what?”

“For us!”

“Karma’s not real,” Tryst says, but he looks a little worried at the thought. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen to us, Nik.”

“You can’t wish ill on other people’s relationships,” Leenik insists. “You gotta wish for them to get hit by a bus or something, that’s totally acceptable.”

Aava kicks him, lightly, which doesn’t really matter because her boots have studs on the toes and it hurts either way. “It’s not acceptable.”

“It’s totally acceptable.” Leenik looks away. “What do you think happened?”

“What do I think?”

“Yeah, you know them, you have to have a theory or something. Why do you think they’re acting weird.”

Aava bites her lip, and then leans in closer to Leenik. “Can you keep a secret?”

“No,” Leenik says, because he has to be truthful.

“He can’t. Tryst Valentine, on the other hand-” Tryst steps in until he’s close behind Leenik, breath warm on Leenik’s face. “I mean, I also can’t, but I want to know.”

“Good,” Aava says. “I think they’re pining.”

Leenik makes a face. “Pining is a gross word, call it unrequited love.”

“Those two have been in love as long as I’ve known them,” Tryst says. Which is true, because Zero and Blue are disgusting and obvious and transparent, and Leenik hates them both. “Why does it matter now?”

Aava shrugs. “I think they finally figured it out.”

“Figured it out?” Tryst repeats. “You think they didn’t know before?”

“Have you met them?” She snorts. “They couldn’t figure out a damn thing if it didn’t hit them in the face. They definitely didn’t know, and I’m pretty sure they do now.”

“What do you think is going to happen?” Leenik asks, fascinated despite himself. He doesn’t care if Zero and Blue date, but he wants to know every part of this story. He’s lucky that Tryst was sort of romantic, and paid a little bit more attention than Leenik did, because he figured out not long after they moved in that they were in love and being a little stupid about it. But Zero and Blue don’t seem like either of them would ever notice without someone to rub their noses in it.

“I don’t know.” Aava steps back, looking distinctly unhappy. “But I think it’s going to be a problem.”

“Hey, look on the bright side,” Tryst says.

Leenik steps on his foot, because he loves Tryst, but Tryst’s bright side is definitely not going to be Aava’s bright side.

“Nik,” Tryst whines. “I was just going to-”

“No, I’m on Leenik’s side,” Aava says. “He’s trying to make sure your foot stays out of your mouth, Trystan.”

Tryst opens his mouth, but Leenik steps on his foot again and looks at Aava. “We can’t say that around him, remember? He makes bad jokes.”

“Right.”

“Good jokes,” Tryst says indignantly. He kisses Leenik’s temple before he moves away to help gather trash, and Leenik smiles to himself. “My jokes are great, you’re just the wrong audience.”

“The right audience doesn’t want you either,” Aava says flatly, and Tryst laughs, and they keep going.

 

#

 

Aava ends up pouring the wine when Bacta and Lyn get there, because there’s still no sign of Zero or Blue. She doesn’t look happy about it, so by collective silent agreement Leenik sits next to her where she’s curled up on the couch. She doesn’t say anything, but she adjusts herself so her feet are tucked in Leenik’s lap. Tryst settles on the couch next to him and puts an arm around his shoulders.

Leenik smiles. “You wanna do resolutions?”

“Sure,” Aava sighs. “I resolve to kick Zero and Blue’s ass next time I see them.”

“That’s fair,” Leenik says, and he means it. Aava throws the party, but he knows this is the part that matters to her. It sucks that they’re missing it because of their… whatever. “Anything long-term?”

“I’m going to learn to scrapbook.”

“Scrapbooks are nice.”

“The first thing in it can be you kicking their asses,” Tryst suggests. Bacta and Lyn mutter their agreement, because they’re also still not over the thing with the prosthetic.

“The perfect scrapbook entry,” Aava murmurs. She scans the group before her eyes settle on Lyn. “Luroon?”

“Read over a hundred books,” Lyn says promptly. “Not audiobooks, not graphic novels, but print-on-paper books. Tryst?”

“Mine’s a secret,” Tryst says.

Leenik turns to look at him. “Do I get to hear?”

“Nope.”

“I know it,” Lyn says, which makes Leenik frown. Lyn is the person Tryst tells when he has things he doesn’t want to tell Leenik. Like the fact that he’s in love with Leenik, or his anniversary present for Leenik. And judging by the way Lyn smiles at Leenik for a second, this one has to do with him too. “It’s good. Do you have a public one, Trystan?”

Tryst shrugs. “I’m going to try and enjoy the simple pleasures in life more often. Nik, what’s yours?”

“I want to learn to cook well enough that I don’t always need recipes.”

“Big goal,” Bacta mutters. But Bacta can’t cook, so he can shut up, as far as Leenik’s concerned.

Leenik just shrugs. “Bacta?”

Bacta opens his mouth to answer, but then he frowns. “Did you hear that?”

Everyone goes quiet. Lyn swirls the wine in her glass, narrowing her eyes. And after a few seconds, there’s a thumping sound, coming from further in the apartment.

“I thought you said everyone left,” Tryst says suspiciously.

“Everyone did.” Aava shifts her feet out of Leenik’s lap and stands up slowly. “Unless I didn’t-”

The door to the guest bedroom, the one that doesn’t have a bed but does have blankets and most of Aava’s shoes, bursts open. And Zero and Blue - there’s no other word for it, really - tumble out, looking disheveled.

Aava’s jaw drops. Tryst looks gleeful. Blue has three hickeys on his neck that Leenik can see, and he’s really trying not to look.

“Why,” Aava says, after a deafening silence.

Zero coughs. “We, uh- we were-”

“We’ve been dating for a month,” Blue says, voice higher than normal. “And we lost track of time.”

“In my guest room?” Aava’s jaw works for a second. “Without telling me?”

Zero winces. “We wanted to, but-”

“But  _ what? _ ”

“Looks like Aava gets her resolution early,” Tryst murmurs, underneath the rising voices behind them. Bacta snickers, and Lyn takes a long, smug drink of her wine.

Leenik smiles and moves his face so it’s closer to Tryst. “You’re keeping secrets?”

“Only good ones, I promise.” Tryst leans forward and presses his mouth to Leenik’s, a slow, chaste kiss. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” Leenik echoes. “What are you gonna do now?”

“I said I’m going to appreciate the simple pleasures.” Tryst turns around to watch Aava, who is now standing directly in front of Zero and Blue. “And this seems like a good place to start.”

Leenik turns around, letting Tryst put his other arm around his waist. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I think you’re right.”

“I always am,” Tryst says, and Leenik lets himself lean into Tryst’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr and Twitter @waveridden!


End file.
